


a love story

by PrisonersDilemma



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Loneliness, Long-Suffering John, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overprotective, Paranoia, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-06-29 08:23:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19826263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrisonersDilemma/pseuds/PrisonersDilemma
Summary: John Reese didn't have much to live for before Harold found him. Not only did he give John a purpose, but he gave John the opportunity to love somebody again. I'm pretty bad at summaries, but this will (hopefully) be a pretty long slow burn fic full of angst and misunderstandings for the first bit until they finally get together and then I want to explore their relationship as they get older together and I'll figure everything else out as I go along. This is the relationship that was always meant to happen, but we never got.





	1. unrequited love

**Author's Note:**

> Heyy so I haven't written a fanfiction in like 3 years and I'm actually only on season 2 of POI but holy shit I am 100% convinced Reese and Finch are meant to be. I couldn't help myself and looked up a bunch of spoilers, but I'm probably gonna write this as I watch the show and a little bit after it's over. I have a tendency to get lazy and give up on things but I'm gonna force myself to make this good and actually try so if anybody wants to be a beta that would be cool. :) I hope you enjoy! Chapter one starts after S2E6 because that's the episode I'm on right now lol. We'll see how this goes. I'll try to update once a week-ish.

"Harold…" John moaned as he clutched himself firmly beneath the wheel of his car. Usually he would try not to allow himself to get distracted on the job. After all, distractions can cost lives; but it had already been three brutal hours with nothing to do except watching and waiting for something to happen. Not that this stakeout was entirely necessary, but John knew the importance of caution more than anybody. 

It was completely silent except for the occasional car driving by. The street lights flickered ominously, almost as if to highlight how alone he was. It's not like he wasn't used to it, but a man does have his limits.

With a final grunt, John finally let himself cum with a hot intensity, moaning his bosses name once again. 

Swearing to himself as he cleaned up the mess, John thought back to how his obsession began. 

Ever since the day they first met, Harold gave him something nobody else could: a purpose. But, that was only a part of why John ultimately fell in love with him. 

It was all the little things: the way he adjusted his glasses, the way his eyes shined when he got excited about a breakthrough in a case, his endless desire to help people, and every other little detail about himself that John felt blessed enough to be trusted with. He treasured every single one. 

There wasn't really a specific moment that John fell in love with Harold. It was when Harold took Leila from the hospital and John saw how positively adorable he could be when he got impulsive. It was when they got to play as pretend parents together and John could only think about how much he wished it were real. It was when Harold whispered in John's ear when they were undercover in one of their earliest cases; even though John couldn't yet begin to understand the tingles it sent down his spine. It was when Mr. Finch continued to surprise him and make him feel special every single day.

He hadn't realized he was in love immediately, and once he did, he knew that he could never let Harold know. He was happy enough with the time they spent together. As long as he could keep him safe, and serve at his side, John would be content. No matter how much he wished he could run his hands along Harold's sides, caressing him, and be with him as a lover and a partner rather than just an "employee," Reese knew it was hopeless. 

After all, Harold was a very private person. He made that abundantly clear, and Reese was confident his heart was still with his fiance. Sometimes he would catch Harold with his guard slightly more down than usual with an almost longing look in his eyes, and Reese knew he was thinking about her. As much as John didn't want to seem ungrateful for Harold letting him know such an intimate part of his history, and as much as John loved that Harold trusted him enough to become John's best and possibly only friend, as soon as Grace told him they were engaged, Reese knew he wasn't the one for Harold and he never would be.

They were like "brothers" or "best friends." He's sure that's how everybody else saw it. Hell, he would be honored if Harold considered him either one of those most trusted roles, but he doubted it. Grace would be good for Finch, if he ever gave himself the chance to be with her again. Deep down Reese knew that his own survival was unlikely for very long, but he would be damned if he ever let Finch get so much as another scratch.

Root. Root hurt his- no not his- Harold and losing Harold is something he could never accept. Seeing how shaken he'd become after his kidnapping had been one of the worst experiences of John's life, and knowing that his "contingency" didn't even involve saving himself felt like a slap in the face. All John wanted to do was make Finch understand how important he is, more important than anybody else in the world. Nobody could ever be as special. John had been in love before, he wouldn't deny that, but Harold was unique.

Now John kept thinking back to what Maxine Angelis had told him just a few nights ago. "He still seemed hung up on Zoe Morgan." He nearly laughed at the thought. Sure, she was attractive and with the direction his life was going he might have considered her as somebody to potentially get closer to, but no matter how hard he tried… him and Zoe. It wasn't the same. She was gorgeous and they were great friends, but they could never be as connected as he felt to Finch.

Now they had just pretended to get married and divorced, and John had agreed to spend the night with her. A part of him had wished that maybe Harold would get jealous, but now it was over… for the most part. Was he using the stakeout as an excuse to avoid Zoe? She was certainly beautiful and possibly a perfect match given their careers, but he shouldn't have agreed to stay the night. It wasn't fair when he knew his heart was with somebody else, although he doubted she was looking for a serious relationship. Work was her life, much like his own and he didn't get the feeling she was much of a romantic.

Satisfied that everything had been cleaned up properly, John sighed and leaned back in his chair, when suddenly the passenger door opened to reveal Zoe.

"The case is over John, why don't you come inside? Wyler is fine." She looked down.. "I see you've already taken care of yourself."

John zipped up his pants. "Yeah. Well, sometimes it pays to be paranoid."

"Does Finch know you're still out here?"

"Maybe." John closed his eyes.

Zoe climbed into the seat next to him and shut the door. "I guess that's a no to spending the night then?"

"I never said that."

"Maybe I just did."

John sighed and pushed his hair back with his hands. "I-"

"It's Finch isn't it?" Zoe interrupted. 

John turned abruptly to look at Zoe, only barely attempting to conceal his surprise. "What makes you say that?"

Zoe's laugh was like a fine wine. "Well who else would it be? It's obviously not me and I doubt it's either of your detective friends."

"Am I crazy?" As much as he wanted to, John couldn't deny that truth in her words and it didn't feel terrible to talk to someone about anything other than death and crime.

"No." She responded softly. "You're not crazy. He's the crazy one if he doesn't feel the same way…" There was a pause. "Let's go back inside. You can have the floor."

John's eyes softened, crinkling at the edges. He smiled softly. "Do you ever wish you had a life like there's?" He gestured towards the house he'd been watching. 

Zoe went quiet before finally responding. "I used to, when I was younger, but now I don't think I'd enjoy it. This is where I'm meant to be."

"There was a girl once. I could have stayed with her but-" Frowning, John continued. "I thought she deserved better." Zoe slowly placed her hand on John's arm. 

"She must have been an amazing woman."

"She was." 

Silence.

"Well." It was Zoe's turn to sigh this time. "This wasn't how I imagined my night going."

John turned back to look at her again. " Are you sure you want to take back your offer?"

"...Are you sure you want to take it?"

"Yeah. If you still want to… considering-"

She laughed again. "It's just sex John. We're not exactly getting married." 

John smiled. "We never had our honeymoon before the divorce."

She opened the door and smiled. "Well we'd better get on it then."


	2. wedding crashers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> john and harold get a new number and go to a wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i know i said i was gonna update every week, but i was on vacation in LA last week so I didn't have much time... i'm still deciding how i want to approach this because i'm still on season two i think and i know john is gonna die at the end of the show. i want to make it so he doesn't die (probably) but i'm not sure if that means i'll change/edit out some of the events of the show to make sure it never gets there or just keep it mostly the same until then and just have him miraculously live somehow?? if i do the prior which i like better when would i need to start changing plot details from the show??? idk but yeah enjoy the chapter!

The library was tense and quiet when John entered the room. His boss didn’t bother looking up to greet him and even Bear seemed less excited than usual. Although Reese generally looked forward to the little time he actually got to spend in the same room as Finch, the man seemed unusually distant and John couldn’t help wondering whether or not he knew what had happened with Zoe. A tiny part of him hoped that maybe Harold was jealous, but the rest of him knew how impossible that would be. The more likely explanation was that he’d spent the past 24 hours staring at his computer again: a bad habit which John would never stop pestering him about.

"We have a new number Mr. Reese. Liam Harrington. He's 27 working as an accountant at a software company with plans to marry his fiance Darren Saunders tomorrow afternoon."

"Sounds lovely." John murmured before taking a sip of his coffee.

"It's quite unfortunate you just divorced Ms. Morgan or I would have had you two attend the wedding together."

"Right." John frowned.

"Then again, you might enjoy going on a case as a couple again regardless." Harold turned his chair to face John, who took another sip of his drink.

"I don't know what you're implying Harold."

Mr. Finch waved his hand through the air, as if to say that he meant to imply nothing at all. "I was under the impression you liked Ms. Morgan's company... Unless I was mistaken in that regard? In any case, I have already reached out to her." John raised his eyebrows. "She is unfortunately unavailable this week, although she sends her regards."

Harold was surprised to hear the almost venomous undertones of his own speech. Whether or not John was pursuing a relationship with Zoe was none of his concern outside of a professional standpoint, and what may have occurred when John didn't return home after the Wyler case shouldn't have bothered him.

Although Finch usually made an effort to respect his employee's privacy, he wasn't blind. He checked every night to make sure both Grace and John arrived home safely. If they didn't return, he made sure to check that wherever they were staying was secure.

Recently however, Finch's paranoia had been getting the best of him as he found himself thinking about John far more than might be healthy or necessary. Still, he tried to justify his increasingly obsessive behavior rationally. John after all, had just saved him from Root. He'd even given him Bear to protect him when John himself was unavailable. John was always there, and scientifically attraction is more likely to occur when two people spend a significant amount of time in a close vicinity- not that he was attracted to Reese… Not that Reese wasn't attractive, but Harold certainly couldn't let himself be interested. Even if he was interested in pursuing a more romantic relationship, it could never happen. Reese would never feel the same way. It was unprofessional and dangerous to get feelings involved. Besides, he still loved Grace and always would. How could he not? That's what he kept telling himself.

But then again, John knew him better than anyone else alive and the most terrifying part was that Harold wanted him to know even more. He just felt so comfortable with John, trusting him in a way that was unsafe for both of them. With Grace he could have had a normal life, but Finch was not a normal person and neither was John. John was a real partner. John knew and understood him in a way nobody else ever could. As much as he loved Grace, they could never work. She was simply a fantasy who deserved better than him, but he and Reese? No. He had to stop. He had to stop with Grace and he had to stop with John. That's what he kept telling himself.

Suddenly, Harold realized that John was speaking to him. "I'm sorry what was that Mr. Reese?

John looked like he wanted to roll his eyes and the corner of his mouth turned up as though he had just remembered an amusing secret. "I asked you if Mr. Harrington has any enemies: somebody who might want to ruin a wedding?"

"Ah, yes, well I have one possible lead at the moment." Harold turned back to his computer, scrolling through some files. "It seems as though Harrington's previous marriage may not have ended so happily. His ex-wife Marianne may be upset that he is now engaged to a man, but I can't be completely sure at this point."

“Well we don’t have much time Finch. I’ll follow the groom while you make friends with his ex.”

Sighing, Finch stood up slowly and painfully. “I suppose I must.”

*P*E*R*S*O*N* *O*F* *I*N*T*R*E*S*T* *P*E*R*S*O*N* *O*F* *I*N*T*R*E*S*T*

Liam seemed extremely paranoid for somebody who should have been getting ready for the happiest day of his life. John had been following him for an hour or so and Liam kept looking around nervously as though he thought he was being followed. Of course, he was being followed, but John was too good at his job for Liam to ever notice him. At least, that’s what John thought until, Liam turned to an empty alley and anxiously started yelling. “I know you’re following me so why don’t you just come out and talk to me!”

John didn’t move from his position leaning against a wall, far away from sight. He already knew that there was nobody else trailing Liam to “come out and talk,” but he seemed adamant, pacing nervously for about five minutes, before Reese finally gave up and walked into his line of sight. “Who exactly is supposed to be following you?”

“Oh. My. God. I knew it.” The man looked like he was about to faint. His hair was caked in sweat, sticking to his forehead and he nervously picked at what were already quite stubby looking fingernails. “L-look. I’m really sorry I haven’t responded to any of your calls, but I really need this ring. Please, it’s too late to buy another one and it’s absolutely perfect. I didn’t know it was worth so much when I got it, but I’m willing to pay what I can if you’ll just leave me be and let me keep it.”

Reese frowned and stepped forwards. “I know you’re in danger and I was sent for your protection. I don’t care about a damn ring.”

Liam looked visibly relieved as though he might melt into the ground. “Thank God… Wow. Hey are you the man in the suit? My fiance is totally obsessed with you. He’s super active on your subreddit, he thinks you’re like a modern day Batman, and I told him that there’s no way somebody like that seriously exists, but he’s going to be so happy when you two get to meet!” Harrington had the sweetest smile and it was clear to Reese that he was head-over-heels in love with his husband-to-be.

“Tell me more about who you think was following you.” He’d have to ask Finch about that subreddit later.

Liam sighed. “Alright, I guess I can tell you... It’s just that, I love Darren so much you know? I’d give the world to him and it took me months to find the perfect wedding ring. He can be very picky about that sort of thing so last week I was walking through this flea market type thing right? I was getting super desperate when this woman pulled me aside and asked me if I was engaged and I said yes. She might have been in her thirties, I’m not sure but she was blonde and kind of curvy. I wasn’t paying much attention.. She seemed pretty scared though and she told me that she had a wedding ring I might be interested in. When I saw it, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. It was super expensive and the lady said she’d only accept cash, which I thought was kind of weird, but she came to the bank with me and I gave her 10K. She gave me the ring, left, and I didn’t question it at all until I got a call a few days later. When I answered, it was a guy asking about the ring I bought. He said it was worth much more than 10K and offered to pay me 50K for it. Obviously I couldn’t give it up, so I said I was really sorry but I wasn’t interested, and he got really mad. I’ve been getting so many calls so I turned my phone off, but they told me they’d do ‘whatever it takes’ to get it back. I wanted this wedding to be perfect. I love him so much, but what if they come during the ceremony or something, I don’t know what I’d do. I haven’t even talked to my family since I divorced Marianne. I thought this might be like a second chance you know? Darren’s family is so supportive and they’ve been so good to me. My last wedding was a total shitshow and I honestly never thought I’d get to be with Darren. I met him when I was still married. I knew he was gay, but honestly I never thought he’d be interested in me.”

Liam may have been naive, but he was so sincere John couldn’t help revealing at least a little of his own experiences. “I’ve never been married. I let the last woman I loved marry another man and now she’s dead.” Liam looked somewhat disappointed, but nodded apologetically. John paused before continuing. “The man I love now is engaged to a woman. He’s definitely not interested in me at all.”

“That must be really difficult. I’m so s-” John cut him off.

“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled softly. “Darren is lucky to have you and I’ll make sure you both live to enjoy your honeymoon.”

*P*E*R*S*O*N* *O*F* *I*N*T*R*E*S*T* *P*E*R*S*O*N* *O*F* *I*N*T*R*E*S*T*

Meanwhile, the man of John’s affections followed Marianne to a nail salon where, despite his embarrassment, the woman at the desk talked him into a pedicure. He was seated right next to Marianne herself who talked to him for an hour about work, her friends, and everything else. He couldn’t tell if she was flirting or just being friendly. As they were finishing up their pedicures, Harold stood up. “This has been lovely… Marianne, was it? May I ask you a question?”

She looked a bit taken aback. “Of course, what is it?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to come to lunch with me, that is if you don’t have other plans?”

To his surprise, she responded by laughing. “You seem like a sweet guy, but actually I’m not looking for anybody right now and I don’t think you are either.”

“Excuse me?” Harold inquired, somewhat taken aback.

She just smiled. “Honestly, you remind me of my ex-husband. He was a sweetheart, and as angry as I am at him for lying to me, I get it. I could always tell he didn’t love me how he said he did. We had a fantastic time together, but physically… We didn’t work. I knew he was pining after somebody else and I just wish he didn’t waste so much time with me. He’s actually getting married soon. I won’t be attending because I have business I should leave for now, but I’m honestly really happy for him. Don’t waste your time like he did. If you love somebody, just go after them. He probably likes you too.” Marianne winked and suddenly she was jumping into a taxi waiting outside, leaving Harold alone wondering what the hell just happened.

He pressed the button on his earpiece. “Mr. Reese?” There was a slight pause.

“Yes Harold?”

“I don’t think Marianne is our killer.”

“Yeah, I already know Finch. How about we meet up for dinner and I'll tell you all about my time with our friend Mr. Harrington.”

"I think it sounds like a date." At that, both men smiled before internally reprimanding themselves for getting excited for what was definitely not 'a date.'

*P*E*R*S*O*N* *O*F* *I*N*T*R*E*S*T* *P*E*R*S*O*N* *O*F* *I*N*T*R*E*S*T*

When John arrived at the restaurant, Harold had already arrived in a suit John had never seen before that was clearly worth more than his entire lavishly expensive apartment and it certainly matched the mood of the restaurant which was possibly the fanciest place he’d ever been to. “I was under the impression this was going to be something a bit more casual Finch.” John raised his eyebrow before sitting down, taking note of how Harold seemed to be squirming in his seat. He didn’t seem as nervous as their friend Liam, but it was still quite confusing. “You know you don’t need to try and impress me.”

Harold’s laughter in response was light, quiet, and music to John’s ears. Secretly though he wanted to make Harold squirm in other ways… Although, teasing him like this would certainly never get any less entertaining. “I don’t think it’s a crime to be in the mood for something a bit more high-end once in a while.” He took a sip of his water, hoping that perhaps John had taken his joke from earlier about a dinner date seriously. His chances were slim to none and he really had been joking. It was absolutely not a date and he really shouldn’t have chosen such an expensive restaurant. “Tell me about our friend Liam.” John nodded before reiterating the story once again, this time leaving out some of the more personal details. “It sounds like we’ll need some help from our mutual friends.”

“That’s just what I was thinking.” John opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by their waiter, so instead he smiled and the two ate in silence.

Once they were done, Harold smiled at the content look on his employee’s face. “Do you still think I should have chosen a different restaurant Mr. Reese?”

John opened his eyes to stare at Harold with so much love he didn’t know what to think except that it was more likely gratitude, rather than the kind of love he was secretly hoping for. “This was wonderful Harold. Thank you… for everything. I do have one question for you though.”

“Of course Mr. Reese, what is it?”

John’s smile only got bigger. “You don’t happen to know of a Reddit user called ‘birdlover42’ who’s very active on the subreddit r/maninthesuit do you? I’ve been checking it out since Liam mentioned it to me and honestly I was surprised you hadn’t shut it down, but of course it was all nonsense conspiracy theories diverting any sleuths away from the truth. Honestly I was impressed. You’ve made me an urban legend most people would never believe. I’m glad you finally found yourself a hobby.”

Harold sputtered, turning the lightest shade of pink and John laughed. “I wasn’t the one who created the subreddit. I tried deleting it at first but that only made the conspiracy theorists even more interested so I had to make it a joke nobody would ever believe.”

“Liam’s husband seemed to believe it.” Harold frowned, but John just kept smiling until Harold laughed as well and they left the restaurant talking about the most recent book Harold was determined to add to his collection. It was dark out and the lights were dim. As they walked, their hands slowly inched together until they both individually realized what they were doing and pulled back without seeing that the other had done the exact same thing. Eventually, they stopped at a street corner to go their separate ways and John couldn’t help but notice how handsome Harold looked with only the streetlights, highlighting his face. Filled with the urge to kiss him, John turned away frustrated, trying not to let Harold see his pain. “I’ll see you tomorrow Finch.”

Harold tried not to let the hurt in his chest spread to his face. Maybe John thought he had been acting too forward by taking him to such an expensive restaurant after all. “See you tomorrow.” Harold turned and walked back to his apartment noticing that the pain in his body had only gotten worse.

After changing into his pajamas, he checked on Grace who was asleep in bed. Next he looked to make sure John was at home as well, but when he turned on the camera he was surprised to see that John was still very clearly agitated. After pacing the room for five minutes, he turned and punched a wall so hard that the dent almost looked like it went straight through to the other side. He followed up the punch with a long drink of some liquor from an unmarked bottle before falling asleep in his clothes on the couch and Harold went to sleep full of guilt wondering what he’d done wrong.

*P*E*R*S*O*N* *O*F* *I*N*T*R*E*S*T* *P*E*R*S*O*N* *O*F* *I*N*T*R*E*S*T*

The next day, Harold tried his best to keep his distance and give John space which somehow only seemed to make him more agitated. Harold had never been the best with people, but John was his best friend.

The venue was beautiful and the sun was shining across the park. It was quite small with only a hundred or so guests attending, which was probably ideal from a safety standpoint. John wasn’t quite sure why exactly Harold had decided to come, or why he now seemed to be avoiding him, but he just kept thinking about how much he wished last night had ended differently.

It wasn’t long after the start of the ceremony when three rather large men showed up with guns demanding that the Liam give up the ring. John and Harold had been seated next to each other in the second row of chairs and John immediately tried to sit up before Harold managed to stop him. They hadn’t started shooting yet and it wasn’t worth ruining the wedding even more with gunshots and bloodshed or getting an innocent person shot over a ring which of course Liam handed over with tears in his eyes, but the men weren’t done yet.

The one who seemed to be in charge of the operation sneered, spitting at Liam’s feet. “You’re a fucking faggot you know that? I can’t believe my ex-wife thought she could sell her ring to a little bitch like you.” He raised his gun, pointing it at Liam’s head and John immediately stood up again although he could feel Harold’s nervousness and shaking beside him.

“Put your hands in the air! NYPD.” John sighed in relief and sat back down as the thugs dropped their weapons and Carter made her way over to arrest them with ease. The leader wasn’t going down so easily though, weapon still pointed at Liam who really was crying at this point. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Slowly he put the weapon down, but before Carter could do anything, he stuck the ring in his mouth and swallowed it. Sneering, he looked back at the couple and flipped them off before the police put him in handcuffs and took him away.

John turned back to look at the couple at the altar. “Baby it’s okay. I don’t care about some dumb ring. I love you. You’re worth more to me than anything in the entire world.” Darren was rubbing Liam’s back comfortingly while he tried not to cry.

“Really?” He sniffled.

“Yeah, of course dummy otherwise I wouldn’t be marrying you.” He rolled his eyes playfully and Liam laughed.

Luckily, the rest of the wedding continued without a hitch so John and Harold could let themselves enjoy the ceremony. After a while, John was surprised to notice a slight weight on his right side, turning to see that Harold had absentmindedly leaned up against him probably without even realizing. Smiling, John decided to pretend he hadn’t noticed, forcing back the urge to hold Harold even closer. A few moments later, the woman on his left, leaned over to whisper in his ear. “You two make such a lovely couple.”

John smiled and nodded at her, but chose not to say anything in fear that perhaps Harold could hear him if he verbally agreed with her. In fact, it was less than a minute later when Harold suddenly sat up, looking extremely flustered and embarrassed, apologizing profusely and explaining that his back had been hurting quite a bit and he hadn’t even noticed. Again John chose not to say anything, only wishing that Harold had stayed closer to him a bit longer, but just sitting next to his love was fine too.

Harold, still embarrassed, silently reflected on how comfortable he was with Reese. He couldn’t think of the last time he truly felt that relaxed. Both men spent the rest of the ceremony thinking about their past weddings that never happened and the future weddings they’d never get.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for some reason i really like the idea that harold is really active on reddit shitposting about him and john being aliens and stuff like that lmao


End file.
